The Crewe and Nantwich MP has backed Labour's ban on social media for all children under the age of 16, which he says will help to "protect childhoods."

The plans will set a new normal for future generations, kickstarting a cultural shift and driving forward the government's fight to give every child the best start in life.

The ban will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, however the Government does not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included.

Connor Naismith has held two Online Safety Forums in Crewe and Nantwich in order to understand the threats young people face on social media.

He has been a vocal supporter of these restrictions since February this year. Mr Naismith made it clear that a public consultation was necessary to determine whether the measures had the support of parents.

The ban will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, however the Government does not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included (Photo: Wiki Commons).

Connor Naismith MP said: "This announcement is about protecting childhoods. The internet can open doors to a wealth of knowledge and information, but vulnerable children must be able to navigate it safely.

"As parents, we can't have oversight of every online space our child has access to. These new restrictions make it absolutely clear that responsibility lies with social media companies to limit children's use to safe platforms.

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"The government has rightly focused on apps with that pose the biggest risk: those with infinite scrolling, algorithms which push harmful content, communications with strangers, livestreaming and the posting of public material.

"My office ran an Online Safety Forum in Crewe & Nantwich earlier this year where over 500 students participated in a survey designed by their peers. The results were staggering and - for me - confirmed the need for this ban.

"57 per cent of respondents said they'd been approached by strangers online. 40 per cent said they'd seen inappropriate content without searching for it. 37 per cent said they or someone they know had been bullied, threatened or blackmailed online.

"In my discussions with young people about these findings, it was distressing to hear they were surprised the numbers weren't even higher."

The Government carried out a survey of more than 116,000 parents, children and experts across the country to illustrate public sentiment for a social media ban.

The responses showed overwhelming backing for tougher action, with nine in 10 parents saying they would support a social media ban for children under 16.

Mr Naismith added: "The proliferation of these online harms cannot be overstated. Children are particularly vulnerable to malicious content, or accounts, which find their way to young people without them even searching for it.

"Tech companies have been reluctant to intervene, but these regulations mean that inaction is no longer an option.

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"Throughout this debate I have been led by my experiences as a father and guided by conversations with students, parents and teachers in the constituency.

"As a parent, you're constantly balancing trade-offs between freedoms and protections. Social media access so far has been firmly biased against the latter. This new ban will allow children to grow up in the real world and give them a healthy life online."

Nub News has contacted Reform UK Crewe and Nantwich for comment.